Cromwell tank
| Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M) | |
|---|---|
A Cromwell IV at the Bovington Tank Museum | |
| Type | Cruiser tank |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944–1955 |
| Used by | British Army, Israeli Army, Greek Army, Portuguese Army |
| Wars | World War II, 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Korean War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Leyland, then Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company from 1942 |
| Manufacturer | London, Midland and Scottish Railway, English Electric, Leyland Motors, Morris Motors |
| Unit cost | £10,000 |
| No. built | 4,016 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 27.6 long tons (28.0 t) |
| Length | 20 ft 10 in (6.35 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2.908 m) |
| Height | 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) |
| Crew | 5 (Commander, gunner, loader/radio operator, driver, hull gunner) |
| Armour | 64 mm (2.5 in) on the hull front, 76.7 mm (3.02 in) on the turret front |
Main armament | Ordnance QF 6-pounder with 75 rounds Ordnance QF 75 mm with 64 rounds |
Secondary armament | 2 × 7.92 mm Besa machine gun with 4,950 rounds |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol 600 hp (450 kW) |
| Power/weight | 21.4 hp/tonne (16 kW/t) |
| Transmission | Merritt-Brown Z.5 gearbox (five forward and one reverse gear) |
| Suspension | Improved Christie |
| Ground clearance | 16 in (410 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 116 imp gal (530 L) + optional 30 imp gal (140 L) auxiliary |
Operational range | 170 mi (270 km) on roads, 80 mi (130 km) cross country |
| Maximum speed |
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The Cromwell tank, officially Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), was one of the series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War. Named after the English Civil War–era military leader Oliver Cromwell, the Cromwell was the first tank put into service by the British to combine high speed from a powerful, reliable engine (the Rolls-Royce Meteor) and reasonable armour. The intended dual-purpose high-velocity gun could not be fitted in the turret, so a medium-velocity dual-purpose gun was fitted instead. Further development of the Cromwell combined with a high-velocity gun led to the Comet tank.
The name "Cromwell" was initially applied to three vehicles during development. Early Cromwell development led to the creation of the A24 Cavalier. Later Cromwell development led to the creation of the competing Centaur tank (officially the Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Centaur (A27L)). This was closely related to the Cromwell, both vehicles being externally similar. The Cromwell and Centaur tanks differed in the engine used; the Centaur had the 410 hp Liberty engine, the Cromwell had the significantly more powerful 600 hp Meteor; Centaur hulls were converted to Cromwells by changing the engine.
The Cromwell first saw action in the Battle of Normandy in June 1944. The tank equipped the armoured reconnaissance regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps, in the 7th Armoured Division, 11th Armoured Division and the Guards Armoured Division. While the armoured regiments of the latter two divisions were equipped with M4 Shermans, the armoured regiments of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with Cromwells. The Centaurs were not used in combat except for a few fitted with a 95 mm howitzer, which were used in support of the Royal Marines during the amphibious landings of Normandy.